You stare at the brawny guy standing before you. It was hard to believe such an imposing man used to be a mere child of ten only a few minutes ago. How did he manage to sneak past you and use the booth? And more importantly, why? The guy laughed heartily at your confusion and rubbed his freshly nuded scalp nervously. He said in a gritty baritone "What do you mean? I went into that photo box, and it made me older. And I look pretty dang awesome, if I do say so myself". He then proceeded to flex his right arm, grinning as he groped his huge bicep with his left hand.
You shake your head and growl "No, no! You used to be a kid and now you're, like, forty. How are you so calm about that?"
He shrugged. "I dunno. We're in a magic shop, and some magic happened. What else can I say?". He spotted a mirror nearby and made a beeline for it, studying his mature face with an immature grin. He pulled faces at himself, watching how his weathered skin stretched and creased with every movement. Then he rubbed at the dense 5 o'clock shadow that darkened his jawline and wondered aloud "There has to be something in here that'll give me a proper beard...".
Watching this strongman act like a curious child was odd to say the least. He may look like someone's father but he still had the mind of a boy. He couldn't go out into the real world acting like this. You had to put your foot down. You clear your throat and demand "You have to go back into that booth and turn back into a kid, now!".
The man stopped what he was doing, which was pulling down the collar of his V-neck shirt to look at his hair-coated pecs, and gave you an incredulous look. He cackled "What? I'm not going to do that! I like being older, I'm so muscley and strong now. 'sides, you're not my dad. We're not even related. You can't make me do anything!"
You grumble to yourself as the man continued to explore his adult body, his attention now drawn below the waist. You felt like this was all your fault. You were the one who inserted the coin, adjusted the settings, and then promptly abandoned the booth to phone your friend, all the while leaving it unattended. If you didn't have that harebrained scheme to make yourself even older so you could plan for your future, this would never have happened.
And though you would never admit it out loud, you were jealous that the boy grew up to be a bold and rugged, tough man while you were essentially a balder, fatter doppelganger of your dad. Sure, there were a few similarities between the two of you. You were both losing your hair, you were both overly hirsute, you both had a spare tyre round the waist. However, he also had a strong, rectangular jawline like a cinder block and a spherical head that suited a shaved scalp. And while he had a sizeable gut, he was more dad-bod than fat-slob. His powerful arms, broad shoulders and meaty pecs proved he was exceptionally muscled underneath that padding of fat. Throw in the unbridled confidence and admiration he had for his adult self, and it all added up to a hyper-masculine appeal that you disappointingly lacked.
This combination of guilt and jealousy fuelled your need to convince him to reuse the booth and return to normal. It wasn't fair to expect a pre-pubescent kid to adapt to the challenges of adulthood. It also wasn't fair that he got to grow into a big, muscular man and you didn't! You racked your brain for something that could guilt him into changing back. Eventually, you argue "What about your family? They'll be worried sick about you, thinking you've gone missing. And if you do explain what happened, they may not believe you or they won't understand why their sweet, little boy wanted to become a big, scary man"
The man paused in thought for a moment before retorting "I doubt they'd even notice I was gone. My parents are barely around, and my brother hasn't even realised I left his side to come in here, and he's supposed to be babysitting me! Not that it matters, I'm older than the lot of 'em now. Who needs them...".
You noticed what seemed like genuine melancholy in his voice and demeanour. He seemed to be acting out because of problems at home. This could be the key... You say in a soothing tone "It must be tough to feel ignored and abandoned by your family, but surely distancing yourself in an extreme way like this won't help you reconnect with them".
The man's sombre temperament vanished, replaced with a scornful glare. He growled "Enough about me already. What about your family?" You were taken aback, what did he mean? He smirked and continued "I saw you using the booth before I did. You were only a teenager, then you exited it a whole lot older and I was intrigued. I had to investigate myself and I'm so glad that I did. So how will your family feel when they discover their handsome, high-achieving son decided to throw his life away and turn himself into some average, obese schmuck like his father? I doubt they'd be too pleased..."
You stare daggers at the man and reply "That's completely different. It's not like I wanted to be fat and middle aged at all. I was aiming to be 30 years old instead of 30 years older. So yeah, I can't wait to turn myself back into a teenager and put this whole ordeal behind me! But I can't do that until I've convinced your pea-brained ass to also change back because we can't stay adults! We have no life to exist as adults, no jobs, no homes! It's crazy to consider staying this way!"
The man crossed his arms defiantly. "Maybe you can't abandon your old life but I can, and I will. I was already in this store to find a way to do just that, and you just guided the way for me. Face the facts, I like being old and I'm not going to use that booth to magic myself into a kid again. So see ya round, William!". He waved farewell and bolted out of the magic shop before you could even flinch.
You stared at the store exit, too stunned to move. The mystery man just called you by your name before he left. Did you tell him your name? You certainly didn't find out his name. Maybe he overheard you on the phone to your friend... Who just walked into the magic shop this very second! You curse silently, how did he even get downtown so quickly? You were only on the phone to him less than ten minutes ago. Looks like you'd have to put the whole "boy-turned-man ran off and possibly also knows you" problem on the back-burner for a moment...
You watched as your friend glanced around the store, looking for you, unaware that you were standing right in front of him. Eventually, he walked up to you and said "Hi, Mr. Hughes. Uhm... Where's Will? He said he wanted to show me something cool"
Of course he thought you was your dad... You cross your arms and say "you're looking at him, Marco"
Marco was confused to say the least. "Haha, funny. But seriously, Where's Will? I kinda left Jason in the toy shop at the other end of the plaza, and I'm supposed to be watching him... Uh, don't worry though! He's a big boy now, or so he keeps saying. He can handle it..."
Trust Marco to be irresponsible enough to leave his brother to come meet you. Although knowing Jason, the kid probably abandoned that toy shop long before you even phoned Marco. You roll your eyes and explain "No joke, I'm really Will. You see that photo booth in the corner over there?". Marco turned to where you pointed, then back to you with a raised eyebrow, but didn't say anything. You took a deep breath and explained everything that had happened to you in the last hour or so.
Once you were done, Marco blinked a few times and shook his head. "Alright, so you're telling me that photo booth over there is magic and you used it to transform into your dad?".
"By accident! I wanted to be 30, but I misread the instructions and I didn't know it was magic at the time! Also, I'm not literally my dad, we just look very similar at this age apparently..."
He scoffed and flicked his hand dismissively. "Very similar at this age" he mocked in a deep voice before saying "Yeah right, you can give up the act Mr. Hughes. I know it's really you. I bet Will's hiding out in that photo booth to jump-scare me, huh?".
You couldn't believe it, Marco really thought you were your dad trying to pull off some elaborate prank. That's ridiculous, he should know that your dad would never participate in such a thing. In an effort to convince him, you reach into your pocket and pull out the photo-strip from your stint in the booth. "You have to believe me, look!"
Marco took the photos from you. There was a momentary look of surprise when he saw them, maybe he finally believed. He said "Uhm, one, these are obviously photoshopped, and badly. And two, they're not even of you. What, is Jason in on the act too? Is he gonna jump out and surprise me?".
"Huh?" You snatch the photos back from Marco to discover you had handed him the photos of that kid who sneaked into the booth and aged into a middle aged strongman. You looked at the first picture closely and your heart sank. It really was Jason, your friend's younger brother! How didn't you see this before? No wonder he knew who you were! "Oh my god, that was Jason..." You mutter under your breath, before raising it to shout "Oh fuck! Jason used the booth and now he's forty and off doing lord knows what!"
Marco scoffed and took the photos back from you. He looked them over and whistled. "I have to admit, you found a decent looking guy to be adult Jason. He almost looks like he could be my uncle. You know, if I had one... Anyway, the real Jason probably thinks I abandoned him by now so tell Will I said hi".
"Wait!" You grab onto Marco's arm before he had a chance to leave. He squirmed and tried to break free, but you were far stronger than him now. "I promise you this isn't a prank. I can prove it! Just give me a minute..." You rummage in your pocket with your free hand and pull out a single spare coin. But what should you do?
You really wanted to use it to turn yourself back into a teenager, but Marco would still assume you're pranking him. You could make a different change to yourself, maybe get rid of all that weight you've been burdened with, or something more extreme like changing gender, but it ran the same risk. The only way you can think to convince him is making him use the booth to see its powers for himself. On the other hand, the more time you spend in the magic shop, the further away Jason gets from the two of you. Marco may not believe you, but you still had to get him back. What to do...